Artificial eye



B. 0. v. BOURDEAUX.

ARTIFICIAL EYE.

APPLICATION FJILED JULY 20,1920.

mmlg Patented May 31, 19211..

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Bra/N0 (14441215 View? BOUFDEAUX.

orator.-

BBUNQ GAMBLE VICTOR BOURDEAUX, 0E EVREUZ, FRAEYGE.

" nnrrrrcran Application filed July 20, 1920. serial IfTo. 897,622.

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that l, BRUNO CAMDLLE Vic- TOR Bommnaox, a citizen of theFrench Republic, and resident of Evreux, Eure, France, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Eyes, of which thefollowing is a specification. 4

The present invention concerns an apparatus of the orbital prosthesiscalled artificial eye and which, owing to its general shape, theparticularities of its outlines, its dimensions and the particulararrangement of its rear portion, fits better the orbital cavity as thislatter is shaped after removal of the natural eye, this removing beingdone either by exenteration or by incising and expelling (enucleation).

The principles leading to the particular construction of the apparatusaccording to the invention, are the followingones:

The shape of the, orbital cavity, after the operation by incising andexpelling, made according to the usual rules of surgery, is determinedby the play of constant forces composing themselves in a constant way.Said forces are produced by the straight muscles which, maintained inmutual connection by means of the capsular ligaments,

and adhering to the conjunctiva, pull the latter rearward by their tonicaction, and give the latter a shape which is not definedgeometrically,-but showin as a whole,\a cavity, the rear summit of whichis nearly centrally disposed, provided the muscles are in a state ofstatical equilibrium.

The shape is nearly the same in case the natural eye was removed byexenteration with coming 01% of the conjunctiva, but

greatly difierent in case of simple exenteration.

- v 2 Nevertheless, whatever may be the nature of the surgicaloperation, whatever may be the shape of the bottom of the cavity, itsoutlines are more or less the same, because they are produced by thefixed insertions, on fixed points, of the conjunctiva.

These points are the palpebral commissures, the most distant edges ofthe tarsus.

The conjunctiva may thus be considered as a flexible bag fixed by itsedges on the edges .of a rigid clasp'and pulled rearwardly by,

means of a force applied toward the bottom, which force is partlybalanced by the resistance of the soft portions of the socket,

which portions sible bony funnel.

part only, difiers according to the operation, in any case, when adynamlc modification of the muscular balance occurs, the shape of thecavity is modified 1n an identical manner.

Upon the inserting surface of the contracted muscle is formed adepression, while on the lmp'lantation zoneof the antagonist is produceda bigswelling.

Flnally the dimensions of the cavity vary according to the conformationof the orbital base, or at least according to the position of thenatural eye with respect to the latter.

Now, before and after the removing of the eye by enucleation orincision, the'variaations of When the eye ball is placed at the forwardpart of the orbital base, it projects outwardly. The palpebral surfaceis large, consequently the conjunctiva is developed and the conjunctivalbag, after the ball has been removed, is of great dimensions. 011' thecontrary when the eye is sunken, the eyelids and conjunctiva are small,the conjunctival bag reduced.

it may be readily understood that, taking in account the aboveprinciples, it is easy to find out a prosthetic apparatus of constantshape,of defined dimensions and fittingdzhe part lntended for beinghidden. p The prosthetic member according to the above principle isshown in the accompanyin drawing, in which:

Tigure 1 is a front view of the artificial e e;

Fig. 2 is a section on line AB of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of same.

In Fig. 1, a is the lower portion of the outline, in shape of a halfmoon Orsegment .corres ondin to the lower ba passa e the P g g g 7 areinserted in a not exten- I middle curvature being of elliptical shapewithin the latter.

with a transversely directed long axis.

The rear face (Fig. 3) shows on the edges four unequal and irregularlyglobular pro- III jections, two of said projections, p, p at the ends ofa vertical axis, the two other ones 1) and p at the ends of a horizontalaxis.

Said projections have for their object to rest on the bottom of theconjunctiva bag providing deep supports for the artificial e e.

Furthermore the position of said projections corresponds to the surfacesof implantation of the muscles. When the contraction of a muscle carrieswith it the above mentioned play of constant forces above mentioned'(depressions and swellings), the said projections avail themselves ofsaid plaly in the following manner:

0 the projection corresponding to the swelling zone is im arted animpulsion, which, increased by t eprojection, is transmitted to theartificial eye; the projection in front of the depressed zone penetratesThe combination of both said effects results in that the eye may movefreely with an intenseness which is increased by the muscularcontractions, that is to say, byi the motions of the eye on the oppositesi e.

The general shape, the outlines and the arrangement of the muscularprojections remaining constant, the dimensions of the apparatus vary,because the dimensions of the cavities proper may vary, such variationscorresponding more or less to those of the cleft of the eye lids.

1 As to the nature of the materials used in constructing the device, itdoes not influence the invention, the particular features of the noveldevice being obtained by using any convenient materi ls, more especiallyplastic substances, resins, rubber, glass, metals and the like.

- trian Having now fully described my said invention, what I claim anddesire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

1. An artificial eye comprising a front portion formed to present alower part of regular segmental outline and an upper part ofsubstantially triangular shape with rounded upper summit, the sideportions of the triangular part being curved, the major longitudinalaxis corresponding substantial y to the slit between the close eyelids.

2. An artificial eye comprising a front portion formed to present alower part ofregular segmental outline and an upper part ofsubstantially triangular shape with roun d ed 'upper summit, the sideportions of the triangular part being curved, the major longitudinalax1s corresponding substantially to the slit between the closed eyelids,the said front part being convex with the central portion of such convexface being of elliptical shape and the lateral portions being on reducedradii. I

3. An artificial eye comprising a "front portion formed to present alower part of regular segmental outline and an upper part ofsubstantially triangular shapewith rounded upper summit, the sideportions of the lar part being curved, the major longitudinal axiscorresponding substantially to the slit between the closed eyelids, the.said front part being convex with the central portion of such convexface being of elliptical shape and the lateral portions being on reducedradii, the rear portion of the eye being made up of four globularprojections these projections being respectively unequal and arranged indiametrically-opposed pairs. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhand in presence of two witnesses.

ammo CAMILLE VICTOR nounn'utxl Witnesses CLEMENT S. EDWARDS,

Joan F. Fnnmzr.

